10. The Wisdom of Crowds
Up until now, I’ve been talking about how empowering ordinary people increases our sense of belonging and improves outcomes in a variety of situations, from schools to workplaces, from those impacted by a crime to the aspirations of a whole city. But can these processes really work on a larger scale, when decisions have to […]
1. Democracy In Practice
How to Spend $20 Billion: A True Representative Approach to Crafting State Budgets
True Representation True Representation is the bullseye of democracy. True Representation means that at each level in society, people need to be truly represented in the decisions that affect them. At BANR we agree with visionary Buckminster Fuller that to change the way things are, we need to build models that will make old, failing […]
Open Letter to President Zelenskyy
12. Revolution by Conversation
In 2019 I was attending a conference in Kortrijk, Belgium, co-hosted by the organization that I founded in 2000 — the International Institute for Restorative Practices, a master’s degree-granting graduate school and training organization based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. I was especially excited because this event was organized in collaboration with our longtime friends at […]
11. True Representation
Texas is famous for its divisive politics. Moderates are seen by many as spineless. Texas populist Jim Hightower says that in his state “there’s nothing in the middle of the road but yellow stripes and dead armadillos.” So how is it possible that Texas, one of the original gas and oil states, is now the […]
2. Dawning of a New Politics
I grew up loving my country and believing in the advice that one of my heroes, President John F. Kennedy, offered in his inaugural address in 1961. He said, “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” I believed that then and I still do. I […]
Master Class
How to Build a New Reality:A Self-Directed Master Class We are called to be architects of the future, not its victims.— R. Buckminster Fuller Ted Wachtel, founder of the International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP) Graduate School and CSF Buxmont model restorative practice programs for troubled youth, invites us on a journey of discovery, exploring […]